The battle between Sprint and T-Mobile for the hearts and phone lines of America's families is heating up. T-Mobile recently updated its Simple Choice family plan to give a family of four unlimited calling and text, as well as 10GB of data to each of them for $120 a month. On Wednesday, Sprint fired back with a revamped Family Share Pack. This package offers four lines, unlimited talk, text and 10GB of shared data for $100 to families that switch from another carrier. And if 10GB isn't enough, Sprint also announced that it will sell a 40GB plan for $20 more per month, $120 in total.

Google Fiber has a few inroads into less fortunate homes, such as its not-quite-free 5Mbps service, but it's still largely aimed at more affluent households. That's going to change very shortly, however: the White House has revealed ConnectHome, an effort that will bring free or inexpensive ($10 per month) broadband from Google, Sprint and other providers to over 275,000 low-income families in public housing. In Google's case, the service will be available in four of the 28 communities covered by the initiative (Atlanta, Durham, Kansas City and Nashville). All current and future Fiber cities will eventually offer similar service, too.

Back in April, Sprint introduced Direct 2 You, a program that brings the phone-buying process right to your home. Since then, the service has launched in multiple places across the US, including Kansas City, Chicago, Denver, Miami, Los Angeles New York and San Francisco. Today we can add a few more cities to the list, as Direct 2 You will now be an option for customers in Dallas, Detroit, Tampa and Washington DC. With this expansion, the total of markets covered is 32 so far -- which, if anything, shows Sprint is committed to making its new program be a success.

Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure recently said he was tired of T-Mobile's "Uncarrier bullshit," but that BS has almost certainly helped it displace Sprint as the nation's third-largest carrier. T-Mobile's preliminary earnings report shows that it added 2.1 million new customers this quarter, giving it 58.9 million in total. As of May, Sprint had 57.1 million customers after adding 1.2 million in the previous quarter. Depending on Sprint's performance over the past few months, T-Mobile might sprint ahead of it by next quarter. As if that isn't enough, Legere also announced the company's latest Uncarrier move, and it's sure to make Claure "mad, bro."

Remember Helio, the virtual carrier that tried to cater to the tech-savvy young crowd (not so successfully) with data-centric plans and rebranded basic phones? It's baaaack. Ubi Telecom, a mobile company focused on Korean-speaking Americans, has quietly revived the brand as a mostly bring-your-own-device service on Sprint's network, with Verizon* as a roaming partner. However, it's definitely not the provider you remember from a decade ago. Service is much cheaper at $29 (tax included!) for unlimited data, text and voice, but that data is capped at a paltry 128Kbps -- you won't be checking out Netflix. The ready-to-go phone catalog is old, too, with the Galaxy S4 being as good as it gets. The resurrected Helio makes sense if you think that even Virgin Mobile's $35 plans are too rich for your blood, but it won't trigger those warm, fuzzy nostalgic feelings.

John Legere is famous for being the sweariest man in the mobile industry, but it looks as if Sprint'sMarcelo Claure now wants a run at that title. In response to a snarky tweet by the T-Mobile CEO, Claure responded by saying that he was tired of Legere's "Uncarrier bullshit." He went on a four-tweet takedown of the company's policies, saying that it "trick[s] people," and that it's "all a fake show," before adding the hashtag #Tmobilelikehell. We're fairly sure that everyone who saw the exchange made the same ooo noise that pre-schoolers do when they know there's about to be a fight in the sandbox.

It's been almost a year since UK retailers Dixons and Carphone Warehouse tied the knot. Life as a combined entity, known as Dixons Carphone, is off to a good start: profits are up and the company made efforts to expand its presence, including the launch of its own mobile network. Not content with growth in its existing UK and European markets, the company announced today that it's setting its sights on a bigger prize: the US. In a partnership with Sprint, America's third-largest mobile carrier, Dixons Carphone's Connected World Services (CWS) division will initially launch up to 20 Sprint-branded retail stores, lending its "home retail expertise and proprietary knowledge" to help the operator sell people more plans and devices.

This morning Sprint announced it planned to "end consumer confusion and frustration" with an "All-in" pricing plan that combined unlimited data with a two-year phone lease for $80 total. The only problem? An absurd limit capping video streams at 600Kbps. Tonight, CEO Marcelo Claure announced that he has heard consumer frustration with the cap, and Sprint will not place any limits on streaming video with the plan. The press release reveals a bit more detail about the revised plan, saying that "we might have to manage the network in order to reduce congestion" for other customers, so it's still not all good news for the plan. Still, if you don't mind a second-tier experience during busy times, it might be a cheap way to get service and keep re-upping on new phones every couple of years.

Sprint has been experimenting with including phone leases in your plan for a while, and it's clearly enraptured with the idea -- enough so that it's making the lease a part of its everyday service. The carrier's new All-In plan gives you a phone and the usual unlimited data, messaging and voice for $80 per month. In theory, you never have to worry about installment plans or up-front device costs again -- you just choose a recent phone (currently the One M9, iPhone 6 or Galaxy S6) and trade it in every couple of years. It's not as sweet as some of Sprint's earlier offerings, but it's still cheaper than bigger rivals if you're looking for both a lot of data and regular hardware upgrades.

Sprint is trying to do everything it can to compete with T-Mobile's audacious, budget-friendly plans. As such, the carrier's introducing a new plan called Best Buy One Family, featuring two lines with unlimited data, talk and text for $100 per month -- each additional number (up to eight total) will cost $40. Back in March, Sprint also announced a Best Buy-only plan that gives people a smartphone and all-you-can-have service for a flat monthly rate, so this isn't the first time the network and retailer have teamed up. Naturally, if you're interested in taking advantage of this offer, you'll have to visit a Best Buy or Best Buy Mobile store.

Since not everybody loves going to a phone store, Sprint recently launched Direct 2 You to help you buy or update a handset from pretty much anywhere you want. It must have been on to something, as it just expanded it to four new cities: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver. In addition, the service is now available to anybody, rather than just existing Sprint clients as before. Essentially, it lets you buy a new device, upgrade from an old one or get customer service from any location you want -- like your home or a ball field -- for free.

Have you been eyeing LG's latest flagship handset since it was announced last month? Well, it's set to arrive in the US next week. T-Mobile began selling the G4 online today, for $0 down and $25/month for two years or $599.76 if you're looking to part with a lump sum. The pink-hued carrier is looking to lure early adopters with an extra that'll make good use of that microSD card slot. If you opt in "while supplies last," you can expect a free 128GB card for free. And T-Mobile's the spot to grab that dapper brown leather rear cover. The LG G4 won't go on sale in stores until June 3rd, so nabbing one now means yours will ship before the phone hits retail. Not a fan of T-Mobile? Fret not.

Sprint has expanded its free international roaming plan to six more countries: Colombia, Denmark, Honduras, Ireland, Italy, Paraguay and Sweden. That makes the new total 22, including the original 16 locations the company named when it launched the free data and unlimited text messaging in April. Obviously, it still can't compare to T-Mobile's similar service that works in 120 countries, but it's still good news for the carrier's subscribers. That said, it doesn't sound like the plan's 64kbps max speed -- yes, that's the maximum -- has gone up since launch. So if customers need something a little less, um, glacial, they might have no other choice than to pay up.

No, Sprint and Verizon* aren't going to escape the FCC's bid to punishcarriers for letting shady text message services bill their customers. The two providers are respectively paying $68 million and $90 million to settle FCC claims that they not only turned a blind eye to this bill cramming, but frequently denied refunds when subscribers complained. About $120 million of this total payout will compensate victims, while the rest will go to both state governments and the US Treasury.

Are you a long-time Google Voice user? You might not want to sign up for Google's Project Fi service, then. Early adopters who've received an invitation report that you're required to give up important Voice features, including calls, texting and voicemail from within Google Talk, Google Voice and Obihai devices. You'll still get those options in Hangouts (if you turned on support) as well as call forwarding and voicemail transcripts, but you'll otherwise end up with a pale shadow of the phone services you knew before. That could be a worthwhile tradeoff if you like Project Fi's multi-network coverage and simple pricing -- just be sure that you're aware of the consequences.

Rumors of Google breaking into the wireless carrier game have been fodder for scoops, breathless reports and thinkpieces for years now, and for the longest time it looked like the search giant just couldn't make it happen. Yesterday Google put all that to rest. Project Fi is finally here (if invite-only and fully compatible with one phone) -- here's what you absolutely need to know about it.

Got a Nexus 6? Itching to dump your traditional wireless service provider for something a bit more ambitious? Google's got you covered. After months of speculation and a not-so-subtle nod from Sundar Pichai at Mobile World Congress, the search giant's new mobile phone service -- Project Fi -- is finally official. The company's plan is both as savvy and as unorthodox as we'd expect: Instead of trying to build out and maintain its own nationwide network of cell towers and repeaters, Google's instead combining Sprint and T-Mobile's coverage footprints with millions of pre-vetted WiFi hotspots to provide users with the fastest, most seamless mobile experience it can in real-time.

Well, that's the plan anyway. You're probably just clamoring for the invite link at this point (here you go), but it's important to note that Google created Fi to fill in the gaps that already exist in our more-mobile-by-the-day lives.

Now that the political relations between the US and Cuba have taken a turn for the better, American companies are pushing out marketing schemes to fit the bill. Today, Boost Mobile, Sprint's prepaid branch, announced a monthly plan that's geared toward customers who have loved ones in Cuba. The caveat, unfortunately, is that it's only available in Miami right now -- but the strategy makes sense, since it's a city with a dense population of Cuban-Americans. If you're there, $50 a month gets you unlimited text and 15 talk minutes to Cuba at 33 cents per minute -- which the company claims to be the lowest rate among prepaid carriers. Boost's Cuba Monthly Connection deal also includes 5GB of data and all-you-can-have texting and calling within the US, while $10 more monthly doubles your data.

Google said it would launch the "Nexus" of phone networks in the near future, and we may now have a good idea of what that means. Android Police has unearthed Nexus 6 firmware with an app for Project Fi, which appears to be the in-progress name for Google's wireless service. The code suggests a very different approach to mobile data than you're probably used to, even compared to a pay-for-what-you-use offering like Ting. You'd pay only for the gigabytes you expect to use, and you'd get credit back if you don't use as much as planned. There are no mentions of overage fees (you'd just pay the usual per-gigabyte rate), and Google would be unusual among virtual network operators in its willingness to support multiple lines and data-only devices like tablets.

Between Amazon Dash and Netflix, there's almost no reason to leave the house these days. That's why, to save you the agonizing trip to your nearest strip mall, Sprint will bring the retail experience to your house. Next time you're due an upgrade, the company's new Direct 2 You program will send an employee to your door and set up your new device at your kitchen table.

We're not entirely sure how it's already April, but Sprint's clearly eager to make a name for itself before everyone starts popping off on holidays. To wit: The carrier just rolled out a new international roaming plan that'll net your Sprint phone free unlimited texting and 2G data abroad... as long as you're traipsing through a handful of supported countries, anyway.

Using an iPhone on Sprint? Good news: you just got WiFi calling. If you install both the iOS 8.3 update and a matching carrier profile rolling out this week, any iPhone from the 5c on up can make voice calls on Big Yellow using a WiFi hotspot. As on other devices (and T-Mobile, or EE in the UK), this is all about giving you calls in basements, big offices and other places where you might get flaky reception. The upgrade won't help you much if Sprint's coverage is less than stellar in between the access points you use, but at least you won't risk missing an important chat because you're stuck in a cellular dead zone.

Sprint still really, really wants you to switch to its phone network. To that end, it just launched an offer that reimburses whatever it costs you to hop aboard, whether it's a contract termination fee or device installment payments -- there's no cap, as with other switching promos. The only big catch is that you have to turn in any existing phones. So long as you live in an area with good Sprint coverage, though, this could make a lot of sense if you're frustrated by another carrier and would rather not drop hundreds of dollars just to jump ship.

Sprint still isn't done inventing new plans and promos in hopes that you'll sign up. Its latest move? It's launching a Best Buy-only plan that gives you both a smartphone and unlimited service for $65 per month if you get an iPhone 6, or $75 if you prefer Android. It's a nice deal if you're looking to avoid up-front hardware costs, although it's primarily for patient types -- you're locked into that phone for two years, and it'll cost you $10 extra per month if you want to upgrade devices every year. If you're happy to hang on to a phone for a while, though, you can swing past a Best Buy to check it out starting on March 1st.

Sprint is still bending over backwards to get you to switch to its network, and this time it's hoping to bring your whole family on board. The carrier is running a Family Share Pack promotion until March 12th that gives you 12GB of shared data for $90 per month (with waived line access fees) through the end of March 2016 -- a hefty bargain versus the 10GB T-Mobile is offering in its $100 deal. Sprint will also buy out your existing contract, albeit through gift cards, if you switch from another provider. This isn't the biggest deal given that your bill will get much bigger once the promo is over and those access fees kick in. All the same, it could be worth the effort if you were already bent on dropping your existing carrier (particularly AT&T or Verizon, which charge $160 for 10GB) and live in a Sprint-friendly area.